If you take search volume for "kony", "kony 2012", "joseph kony" and "invisible children" as a measure of the general interest in Kony, then the answer is NO. Worldwide interest in Kony has pretty much dropped back to the levels it was prior to the launch of the KONY 2012 video on March 5th.

It's not to say the KONY 2012 campaign wasn't effective. The 30-minute KONY 2012 video has generated over 86 million views on YouTube and 17.8 million on Vimeo to-date. The question for any digital campaign is how do you sustain that interest beyond a week after you launch? A reason for the quick decline and abandonment of the Kony cause is what critics call 'slacktivism', asking people to do very little to do good. As easy as it is to share the video on your Facebook newsfeed is as easy it is to forget about the video.

Kony 2012 successfully created mass awareness of the issue, which was the primary objective of the video but whether it is effective at activating the 100+ million video viewers to do more such as put up posters, tweet celebrities and write to congress maybe a different story. The lesson and challenge for brands is to create 'sustainable' campaigns whether through apps that provide repeat utility or an evergreen social editorial calendar--being able to maintain and keep interest and engagement with fans should always be a priority for any campaign. If it isn't then why spend millions of dollars on a campaign to begin with?

Sunday, March 18, 2012

Did my usual grocery shopping at Foodtown in Williamsburg and noticed these colorful Cheer postcards at the exit. I have no brand loyalty when it comes to laundry detergent and can understand the challenge of making people care even a tiny bit about a specific detergent. Cheer recently rebranded itself to be more relevant to Millennials through colorful geometric imagery and differentiate it from competitors with a focus on "color" clothes. I think it's funny how being relevant to Millennials is somehow always translated into let's use san serif fonts and every color in the rainbow! Despite my skepticism of branding a detergent like a skateboard company, I do like the free laundry/laundromat party concept and #staycolorfulBK hashtag because: 1) Cheer is giving value to consumers and the community, and 2) 'Stay Colorful' is fitting for Brooklyn which is filled with vibrant street art and colorful characters. Plus, laundromat usage in NYC is huge. I'm curious to know if Cheer is throwing laundromat parties in any other cities. Cheer will be an interesting rebrand case study, as long as it doesn't go too far with the Millennial relevancy thing and start sponsoring college foam parties...

Sunday, March 11, 2012

Remember how I said DJs are becoming the next big super endorsers for tech brands i.e. Deadmau5 for Nokia and Tiësto for HP, well now you can add alcohol to the list of products that are collaborating with DJs on a mass marketing scale. Recently Bud Light launched Platinum with Avicii in their Super Bowl spot, now Absolut Vodka releases a new 3.5 minute spot featuring Swedish House Mafia and their new club banger "Greyhound". Long-form, movie-production quality commercials seems to be new trend (Cartier's Leopard), and "Absolut Greyhound" doesn't disappoint with Star Wars-esque robotic greyhounds and Hunger Games Capitol Couture-like costumes. If you visit Absolut.com/Remix the site teases exclusive SHM content coming tomorrow March 12. I'm excited to see how this "collaboration to celebrate music and drinks" unfolds...

Sunday, March 4, 2012

Started the day with a beyond satisfying full English breakfast at the Chip Shop in Brooklyn Heights. I'm so glad I finally went because now I know where to go for my English breakfast cravings or I miss London moods. Spent the rest of the day exploring and shooting photos around Brooklyn.

Hi! I'm Zeny, a Creative Strategist and newly converted West Coaster living in the Bay Area. This blog is about everything that inspires me--from street art to fruit tarts, ice hockey to electronic music--everything from A to Z. All opinions are my own.